Maybe One Day
by Starlite1
Summary: Dear Parker..."


Disclaimer: If I owned it, my life would be much simpler…

_Dear Parker, _

The couple stood out on the white sand, the hot Australian sun of the late afternoon beating down upon their heads.

_If you're reading this, then we haven't managed to return to you yet. Whatever the reason, Bones and I are sorry that we aren't with you as you turn sixteen. Considering that she went through a similar thing when she was your age, we both feel even guiltier. _

The sand crunched beneath their feet, even as the waves crashed against the seashore.

"Caroline and Zach Kennan! Be careful!" The woman shouts to the two children further down the beach, their deep chocolate eyes reflective of their father rolling at her. He chuckles beside her, pulling her in close to his side, where she's always fit perfectly.

_What you do need to know is that we are in hiding. Unless they caught us, which we've taken enough precautions against, we are safe a long way away from here. When you were eight, we had a Cartel put a price on our heads, and whomever they'd need to go through to get to us. We did what we could to get them, but leaving you, leaving the Squint Squad and everyone we love was the only option that left anyone alive. _

She sighs, "Ryan?"

"Yeah, Joy?" He asks, his hands moving reassuringly against her spine.

"Do you miss Booth and Bones?"

"Yeah."

_The car crash, the one we were engulfed in, was the only way to make certain that they would back off. When the option was offered to us, we took it in the hope that maybe one day we'd be able to find our way back to you. _

"He'll probably be opening his letter now." Joy murmurs, her piercing ice blue eyes locking on the face of her husband.

He nods, the sorrow being etched in every pore of his body, "I just hope that he'll forgive us."

_I hope that Hodgins and Sweets have given you at least some of the advice that I would have given you, and that you've managed to grow into the man I hope one day to meet. If not, know that we'll meet in the next world (Bones was scoffing as I wrote that sentence!)_

"He will." She reassured.

_It's my greatest wish that you'll be able to go out and make something of your life. Whether it's at school, out on the streets or in the sky, we'll be cheering for you Kiddo, always. We'll always be thinking of you and cheering you on as best we can._

"Daddy!" Zach calls out excitedly, "I've found a _skull!" _

His parents manage to conceal the flinch that his words evoke, moving over to the hole the pair have dug in the sand.

As Joy glances down, her mind instantly cataloging every aspect of the bones, "Not human, looks like a shark." She reports, feeling Ryan relax beside her, knowing that they're still able to keep the anonymity they've struggled so hard to establish and maintain.

_As to this note, I wish that I could say that you could hold onto it, or even tell someone about it. But if the threat is still there, and this falls into the wrong hands, the consequences will be dire. So either leave it here in the safety deposit box, or burn it to ashes, but never doubt that we love you. I Love you. That I can guarantee will never change._

The pair race off down the beach, cheering and cajoling each other with cries of "C'_mon! Wombat!" _as the sand billows up behind their feet.

"They'll be seven next week." Joy notes.

"Our eighth anniversary." Ryan remarks slightly bitterly.

She grabs him, spinning him around and pulling him in to whisper in his ear, "It was worth it, Seeley Ryan Booth. Our family's safe. _All _our family's safe, and for now that's all we can ask for."

He nods reluctantly, "I know. It's just this time of year…"

She looks at him compassionately, her mind drifting back to a home she lost all too quickly, "I miss them too. Maybe one day…"

_Happy 16__th__ Birthday, son, _

"Yeah, maybe one day." He agrees, looking on as his son and daughter splash in the waves, happily oblivious to the ghosts that play beside them.

_Seeley R. Booth. (And Temperance Brennan.)_

'_Yeah,' _he thinks, glancing up to the now golden sky and the thunder clouds lurking on the horizon, '_Maybe one day.'_

IOIOIOIOIOI

A.N: This just kinda hit me over the head when I was listening to the Bones Soundtrack (Reeeally good!!). I really would love to hear your feedback (good and bad!) So please hit the lil green button for me? -Starlite1


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